1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to air brake hose connectors and, more particularly, to a connector having a mechanical interlock to prevent inadvertent decoupling.
2. Description of the Related Art
Air brake hose couplers, typically referred to as gladhand connectors, have two interlocking members fitted to the hoses that supply pressurized air from a locomotive to the railway air brakes of the railroad cars of a train and then coupled together to join the hoses together. Conventional gladhands used throughout in the rail industry do not include any mechanism that locks the gladhands together when in the coupled position. Instead, the prevailing gladhand design uses the compression of a rubber gasket between the faces of the two gladhands as the sole means to hold a rib in a groove, thus holding the gladhands together. This approach has proven to be unreliable in the field, however, as it is easily disconnected by involuntary forces, such as hose vibration. While the art includes locking mechanisms for gladhands, these approaches have not been adopted in the field because they require that the gladhand be unlocked through additional steps or manipulation that are not practical for current methods of rail car separation or compliant with the applicable industry regulations and standards, such as those promulgated by the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Thus, there is a need in the art for a gladhand design that mitigates the risk of unintended hose separation but allows for disconnection without additional steps or structure.